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Mickey Weems in the Qualia Encyclopedia of Gay People notes that Harvey Milk adopted this same expression to campaign against a proposed California initiative that would have banned gays from working in public schools.
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the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true” strongly resonates with LGBT culture. Moreover, Dorothy’s wish that “somewhere over the rainbow. The rainbow flag and rainbow colors are now symbols of LGBTQ culture. The song “ Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which Dorothy Gale sings in one of the film’s early scenes.Other elements that reinforce the connection of the phrase to Dorothy Gale and The Wizard of Oz: “Friend of Dorothy” buttons and T-shirts are now easy to find for sale online.īutton image by Steve Waters – Friend of Dorothy Judy Garland was all ours she belonged to every gay guy and girl in the theatre.”ĭee Michel’s Friends of Dorothy: Why Gay Boys and Gay Men Love The Wizard of Oz(2018) expands the scope to explain gay culture’s fascination with more than Garland-but the land of Oz itself. We not only listened, we felt all the lyrics of all the songs. However, the explanation more commonly believed today is that the source is Dorothy Gale, the lead character played by actress Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939).ĭaniel Harris’s The Rise and Fall of Gay Culture (1997) maintains that Garland (1922–1969) served as a “lodestone” for gay culture: “When Judy came onto the stage, we were the loudest and most exuberant part of that audience.
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The origins of folk speech are often difficult to determine, which is certainly true for “friend of Dorothy.”Īccording to one letter from 2001 in the Los Angeles Times, the source is Dorothy Parker (1893–1967), a witty member of the Algonquin Round Table, who frequently invited gay men to fashionable soirées during the 1920s and 1930s. But if the response is “Oh, yes, I’m a very good friend of Dorothy,” he’ll know it’s safe to proceed.įolklorists study folk speech, which includes expressions, pronunciations, and grammatical forms shared by members of a particular group-whether the group is based on region, religion, ethnicity, occupation, kinship, or gender identity.
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To test the waters, he’ll ask, “Are you a friend of Dorothy?” If the response is a puzzled “Dorothy who?” he’ll know it’s wise to move on. One of my favorite examples from the mid-twentieth century is the phrase, “friend of Dorothy.” It might work like this: one man is attracted to another but isn’t sure if the feeling is mutual. Other community members could understand these codes, but not outsiders. During the years before greater openness and understanding, members of the LGBTQ community sometimes resorted to coded speech or behavior as a safeguard. (Photo by Authenticated News/Archive Photos/Getty Images)Ĭoming out as LGBTQ is often difficult even today, but throughout much of the twentieth century it could have dire legal and social consequences.